I (29M) have been playing the stock market and investing for a few years now. After grinding, saving, and making smart choices, I finally got a big win. I decided to treat myself for once and bought a new car—not like some crazy sports car, just something I’ve always wanted. I was excited and posted a pic online. Most people congratulated me, except my sister (26F).

She left this super snarky comment saying, “Wow, must be nice to have money to blow. If you’re just throwing it away, maybe give some to someone who actually needs it.” For context, she’s been struggling financially for a while, mostly cuz of her own decisions (dropping out of college, refusing to work full-time). She’s always throwing around stuff like “family helps each other” but never really does anything for herself.

Then, a few days later, she calls me up and straight up asks for money to pay off some overdue bills. I was honestly shocked. I told her no and said if she thinks I’m wasting my money, why does she even want it? She went OFF on me, saying I’m selfish and petty and that I’m punishing her for being “honest.” Now my parents are telling me I need to “be the bigger person” and help her out, but honestly, I’m sick of it. Why is it my responsibility to fix her problems when she disrespects me like that?

AITA for refusing to help her after she basically said I don’t deserve what I’ve worked for?

-UPDATE

Hey everyone, just wanted to give a quick update, and honestly, things turned out way better than I expected.

After a little time apart, I decided to reach out to my sister because I didn’t want things to stay awkward. I told her straight up that her comment really hurt and made me feel like all my hard work didn’t matter. I wasn’t expecting much, but to my surprise, she actually apologized. She admitted she’s been super stressed about money and kinda lashed out, which honestly I can understand now.

We had a good talk, and I offered to help her in ways that made sense, like helping her with a budget and paying for an online course to boost her job prospects. On top of that, I talked to my parents and suggested they help her out a bit too since they’re in a better position to support her right now. They agreed, which was a huge relief for her, and she’s starting to take steps to get back on track.

She’s looking into full-time work now and actually seems serious about making changes. It feels good to know we’re in a better place, and even my parents are happy to see us patch things up.

Thanks to everyone who gave me advice, it helped a ton and honestly gave me the push I needed to handle this the right way!